When individuals have been asked why they chose to leave their position at a company, far more often than not the central reason they give ultimately relates to bad management on the part of their supervisors. Those individuals in charge have a very complex role to play in the way that they handle their subordinates, as great management relies on finding the perfect balance between leading and overseeing the work of their employees by being a constant, guiding presence, while at the same time trying to avoid becoming overbearing in their supervision. Somewhere in trying to find this ideal balance, managers must be able to interact with their employees in a manner that befits their position and leadership responsibilities, while at the same time being open and adaptable.
So with the goal of helping employers to develop their managerial skills and thus improve their employee retention tactics, executive search firms have put together this list of the most common mistakes that managers make, which will need to be addressed if they are to hold on to those employees that they value most.
For a start, it is typical for people to stick to cling to the skills and information that they are the most familiar and comfortable with. So those who are better at handling numbers will focus on accounting matters, while those more tech oriented individuals will tend towards the more IT intensive subjects and roles. While it is important for individuals to have these special skills and focuses, in order to be a successful manager however, those in charge must be willing to open up their gaze and learn to view their roles as leaders as it applies to the various aspects of the business and the varied roles that their employees play. Though allowing themselves to indulge in those areas of expertise that they most enjoy is one thing, it is still crucial to the success of the business and its employees that those other important duties not go neglected.
As an extension of the last point, managers who remain too heavily focused on only one aspect of their responsibilities are sure to be setting themselves up to overlook any number of other vital factors and information necessary to the successful running of the business and the effective management of their employees. Ignoring and overlooking those topics that they are less comfortable with is still equivalent to willful ignorance on the part of these leaders. If managers are to truly be successful at fulfilling their roles they must be willing to learn and grow, and expand their attentions. In fact, as a matter of good practice, leaders should make a greater effort to step out of their comfort zones and begin challenging themselves to learn more about those areas of the business that they are less familiar with. By working more closely with their employees in those fields of which they are less knowledgeable, managers can go a step beyond their typical roles and become more versatile and valuable, ultimately furthering their knowledge and strengthening their positions.
For more executive search firm guidelines on the mistakes managers make and how to avoid them, look for the second half of this article.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
